Boat and use thereof



April 13, 1965 R. SALAMIN BOAT AND USE THEREOF Y FIG. 4

INVLENTOR RENE SALAMIN ATTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1963 IN'VENTOR m m y m N 5M 0 r. N M E RM United States Patent Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. '12, 1962,

10,827 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 114-61) The invention relates to a boat having a hull comprising two laterally disposed longitudinal floats which are con nected by a center board located above the water-line and forming a longitudinal channel together with the water surface and the floats.

The boat is characterised by the fact that the center board terminates at its front end in an inclined and forwardly raised portion which is connected to the center board by a shoulder turned towards the rear of the boat, the whole assembly being such that when the boat is in motion an air cushion is formed in the longitudinal channel which tends to lift the boat from the surface of the water and keep it in a substantially horizontal position.

The invention also relates to the use of such a boat as a container, more particularly for luggage transport, such container being placed on the roof of a motor vehicle.

An exemplary embodiment of a boat according to the invention is illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a boat according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view from below.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section to a reduced scale, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of a seat for the boat.

The boat illustrated will preferably be formed from glass fibre and comprises a hull 1 and a portion 2 forming a cabin provided with a windscreen 3 and side windows 4. Hull 1 comprises two laterally disposed longitudinal floats 5 which are open at the top and connected by a center board 6; hull 1 also has at its rear end a central crossmember 7 to which is attached an outboard motor (not shown). For reasons of clarity, lateral decorative portions 8 extending along floats 5 are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 only.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the center board 6 connecting the two floats 5 is located above the water-line. A longitudinal channel 9 is therefore formed between the surface of the water, denoted by reference 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4, the center board 6 and the two floats 5. When the boat is in motion an air cushion is formed in channel 9 and tends to lift the boat from the surface of the water while retaining it in an essentially horizontal position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front portion of board 6 terminates in a concave, inclined and forwardly raised portion 11 which facilitates the entry of air into channel 9. Such inclined portion is connected to the bottom of channel 91by a flat shoulder 19 having sharp edges, shoulder 19 being perpendicular to channel 9 and occupying the whole width thereof. Shoulder 19, which faces the rear of the boat, contributes greatly towards lifting the boat from the surface of the Water, more particularly when the boat is starting or moving at low speed, the lift being 2 provided by air" eddies whiclifer-m behind's'houlder 19 in channel- 9.-

The reduction in the boats draft caused-by the air cushion reduces the shock absonbed by the forward movement of the boat, so that the power of the motor can also be reduced; moreover, the boats stability is greatly increased because it remains horizontal during travel. Lastly, the jolting which usually occurs in outboard motorboats after a certain speed is reached is considerably reduced, if not eliminated, by the effect of the air cushion in channel 9.

The boat illustrated has at its rear a transverse seat 12 occupying the whole boat width, and at its front two seats 13 each disposed in one of floats 5. One of the seats, which is illustrated in detail in FIG. 7, is formed by two floatable glass fibre boxes 14, 15, box 14 forming the cushion and box 15 the back of the seat; box 15 corresponds in width to the top of the floats. Box 14 has a recessed portion 16 into which box 15 is simply fitted. The two boxes can therefore easily be separated from one another. The base 17 of seat cushion 14 and the rear face 18 of seat back 15 are flat so that when the two boxes are placed end to end in the floats with flat surfaces 17 and 18 turned upwards they cooperate with the top face of board 6 to form a flat surface on which mattresses, for

instance, can be laid to form bunks.

The floats 5 allow the boat to rest on the ground without any danger of tilting so that the boat can be used as a container, more particularly for the transport of luggage on the roof of a motor vehicle.

For instance, for camping purposes, vehicles can be fitted with luggage racks having articulated elements which can be turned down towards the ground to form ramps over which the boat can be slid by its floats for loading and unloading purposes. Since a four-seater glass fibre boat weighs only about kg. it can be loaded with luggage or camping equipment before being placed on the vehicle luggage rack. To this end, a winch can be provided at the front end of the luggage rack to allow the loaded boat to be placed on and removed from the luggage rack more easily.

What I claim is:

1. In a boat, a hull'comprising two laterally disposed longitudinal floats connected by a center board located above the water-line and forming a longitudinal channel together with the water surface and the floats, an inclined and forwardly raised portion terminating the said center board at its front end and at the front ends of said floats, and a shoulder connecting between said raised portion and said center board, said shoulder being disposedin the forward portion of the longitudinal channel and facing toward the rear of the boat, the whole assembly being such that, when the boat is in motion, said shoulder produces eddies of air in the longitudinal channel to form an air cushion therein which tends to lift the boat from the surface of the water and to keep it in a substantially horizontal position.

2. ,In a boat as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inclined and forwardly raised portion is concave and widens progressively from rear to front.

3. In a boat, a hull comprising two laterally disposed longitudinal floats connected by a center board located above the water-line and forming a longitudinal channel together with the water surface and the floats, an inclined and forwardly raised portion terminating the said center Patented Apr; 13, 1965? board at its front end and at the front ends of said floats, and a shoulder perpendicular to said center board, and connecting between said raised portion and said center board, said shoulder being disposed in the forward portion of the longitudinal channel and facing toward the rear of the boat and occupying the whole width of the channel, the whole assembly being such that, when the boat is in motion, said shoulder produces eddies of air in the longitudinal channel to form an air cushion therein which tends to lift the boat from the surface of the water and to keep it in a substantially horizontal position.

4. In a boat as set forth in claim 3,; wherein said shoulder forms a sharp-edge at its point of jointnre with said raised portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 10/ 5 8 Italy.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner. MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner. 

1. IN A BOAT, A HULL COMPRISING TWO LATERALLY DISPOSED LONGITUDINAL FLOATS CONNECTED BY A CENTER BOARD LOCATED ABOVE THE WATER-LINE AND FORMING A LONGITUDINAL CHANNEL TOGETHER WITH THE WATER SURFACE AND THE FLOATS, AN INCLINED AND FORWARDLY RAISED PORTION TERMINATING THE SAID CENTER BOARD AT ITS FRONT END AND AT THE FRONT ENDS OF SAID FLOATS, AND A SHOULDER CONNECTING BETWEEN SAID RAISED PORTION AND SAID CENTER BOARD, SAID SHOULDER BEING DISPOSED IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE LONGITUDINAL CHANNEL AND FACING TOWARD THE REAR OF THE BOAT, THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY BEING SUCH THAT, WHEN THE BOAT IS IN MOTION, SAID SHOULDER PRODUCES EDDIES OF AIR IN THE LONGITUDINAL CHANNEL TO FORM AN AIR CUSHION THEREIN WHICH TENDS TO LIFT THE BOAT FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER AND TO KEEP IT IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION. 